Woman commits suicide after hitting senior on bike

A 39-year-old woman in Sichuan province killed herself because she could not afford the medical fees for an elderly woman she accidentally hit with her electric bicycle.

Huang Fuying, who lived in a village in the Xindu district of Chengdu, was riding home on the evening of April 6, when Zhang Xing, 73, bumped into the bicycle to avoid a motorcycle.

Zhang suffered serious injuries, lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital. After paying 4,500 yuan ($714) for Zhang's initial treatment on Saturday morning, Huang told her own family at lunchtime that Zhang's family asked her to pay more than 40,000 yuan in medical fees.

Huang's family is very poor. She earned less than 1,000 yuan as a worker in a local glass plant and her husband did odd jobs to support the family. Worried that she could not pay more for Zhang's treatment, Huang drank pesticide and died around suppertime. Six hours later, Zhang died of her injuries.

According to a police officer in Xindu, Zhang's family asked for compensation for her death. But Huang's family did not agree.

(China Daily)